


start of something new

by Sumi



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: 5 Things, Angst, Canon Compliant, F/F, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, but this is life is strange, nothing new there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 01:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12377886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: A tale of 5 beginnings for one Chloe Price over the span of the game.





	start of something new

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the title is taken from a fucking High School Musical song. If Chloe Price was real, I think she'd kick my ass for that.

**_i._ **

Chloe’s first instinct was to text Max about the scary as fuck revelation she had while ditching school that day. She typed out a whole message and hesitated just before hidding send. Her thumb anxiously hovered an inch over the key. The three recent messages in their chat were all from Chloe and weeks later, the messages remained unanswered.

_max i know your busy and shit but i need to tell you this. i think i’m gay. Like super fucking gay._

A minute passed, followed by another. The message remained unsent and slowly Chloe brought her thumb to the backspace key. She pressed her thumb down until the message had vanished from the screen.

Realizing she wanted to make out with girls was a big fucking deal. Chloe should be sharing the news with her best friend, but ever since Max went to Seattle, she pulled farther and farther away from Chole. If Max couldn’t be bothered to answer the last three texts she sent, then she wouldn’t be privy to knowing about Chloe’s preferences; let alone anything going on in Chloe’s life.

She threw her phone to the other side of her bed with a loud growl of frustration. Chloe’s finger’s twitched, aching to make a grab for that phone and type out another message to Max. If Max suddenly showed up and asked Chloe to hang out, Chloe would instantly say yes. All the anger held towards Max for abandoning her would be instantly forgiven and forgotten.

After trying to ignore the temptation, Chloe made a desperate grab for the phone. She unlocked it and furiously began texting a new message to Max.

_hey earth to caulfield! i need to talk to you about some heavy shit that’s better said in person… or over voice chat. so text me back dude. preferably sooner than later. this is a pretty intense self discovery. the kind you need to talk to your best friend about._

The same thing that happened before happened again when Chloe tried to send the message. Her thumb hovered over the send key, but she couldn’t force herself to send it. Instead, Chloe moved her hand to the backspace until all that was left of the unsent message was ‘hey earth to caulfield’.

_hey earth to caulfield! text me when you get a chance._

Chloe sent the impersonal sounding message rather than the other ones she contrived, but given the state of their friendship, it made the most sense. She couldn’t talk to her mother about it. Not when it was literally so new. If her dad was around, he’d know exactly what to say. He’d  
get Chloe through all this; like he always did.

It was the beginning of a new, scary time in Chloe’s life and she had to navigate it all alone.

**_ii._ **

Chloe’s heart leapt into her throat when her and Rachel locked eyes in the drama room that morning. They talked only a handful of times before and the majority of the interactions didn’t get past more than a simple ‘hey’. While Rachel may not have known Chloe existed when she saved her ass at that concert, she definitely knew about Rachel Amber. Of course, who didn’t know who she was? This was Rachel Amber. Everyone on Blackwell campus knew who Rachel Amber was, or at least heard of her before.

The first moment Chloe laid eyes on Rachel, butterflies instantly appeared in her stomach. Chloe never felt like this when she looked at a guy. She could say the same when Rachel first kissed her. It felt like something Chloe never experienced. There were only two guys to compare the kisses too, but they didn’t come close to the kiss Chloe shared with Rachel.

It happened three days after they ditched school that one afternoon. Chloe was still reeling from what happened that night with Rachel and trying to grapple with information that didn’t make any fucking sense. Whatever it was made Rachel even more special. There was no reason for Rachel to be slumming it with her so Chloe made herself scarce, but leave it to Rachel to fucking seek her out.

“What the hell, Chloe?” Rachel shouted, bursting into the busted up van Chloe decided to hide in. “You’ve been fucking avoiding me since… that night.”

Chloe’s mind instantly drifted to the fire and the way it spread across the trees with the help of that unnatural gust of wind. Rachel was the catalyst. She had to be. It didn’t make any sense, but nothing else made sense. “Hey,” Chloe muttered weakly.

Rachel frowned, making her way further into the van. “Seriously, all you have to say is hey? I want to know what the hell is going on with you, Chloe. Are you like… scared of me now or something?”

“Fuck, Rachel that’s the last thing I am!”

“Then why have you been avoiding me?” The demanding tone in Rachel’s voice held a hint of vulnerability and Chloe instantly zeroed in on that. It caused her heart to flutter. “Well, Chloe?”

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say you freaked me out with that weird, magic shit back there, but that’s not why I’ve been avoiding you,” Chloe choked out. “You’re so fucking amazing, Rachel. I mean, you have so much talent, you’re gorgeous, and this scary, but super amazing power. Why would be interested in me?”

For a minute, Rachel remained silent. She just stared straight at Chloe, before stomping towards Chloe. “Chloe Price, you’re a fucking idiot!”

Chloe never got a chance to respond. Any words she had to say were swallowed by the surprisingly passionate kiss Rachel yanked her into. When Rachel’s lips touched hers, Chloe went stiff, but after a few seconds she melted into it. Her hands cautiously gripped Rachel’s shoulders and Chloe shifted closer, no space left between their bodies.

The feelings the kiss brought up in Chole was fucking terrifying, but she didn’t want it to stop. If not for the fact that they needed oxygen, the kiss would have gone on a lot longer. Chloe made a noise of disapproval, which caused Rachel to laugh.

“So we good, Chloe?”

Chloe shook her head though was quick to clarify. “Kiss me again and then we’ll see.”

It was the beginning of something that scared the shit out of Chloe, but it was worth facing her fears for Rachel.

_**iii.** _

The first day Rachel didn’t respond to her calls or texts, Chloe brushed it off. Sometimes, Rachel could be in that sort of mood. When two days passed and Chloe still hadn’t heard from Rachel, the panic began to set in. It was on the third day that Chloe knew something was definitely wrong.

_rachel where the fuck are you? its been three days. text or call me back!_

Chloe waited for a response, but her phone didn’t so much as vibrate to indicate a new text or call. She wanted to believe everything was okay. Thinking Rachel was just trying to take a few days for herself and figure shit out should’ve been a comforting thought. Problem was, Chloe knew this isn’t something Rachel would have done.

The two were inseparable and had been for the past three years. Chloe liked to think she knew Rachel better than she knew herself. In a couple weeks, Chloe and Rachel were supposed to get the fuck up out of Arcadia Bay. Rachel wouldn’t leave this hell hole without Chloe. This was the one thing Chloe was most sure of. Everyone else left Chloe throughout her life, but Rachel would never do that to her.

_rach, i need you. please just come back._

After a week of nothing but silence from Rachel, Chloe knew something seriously bad happened. It seemed like it was the beginning of the end of for the new life with Rachel she hoped for.

_**iv.** _

Chloe slammed on the brake seconds before nearly hitting the girl that stumbled in front of her truck. When they locked eyes, Chloe couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The girl was none other than Max fucking Caulfield.

“Max?!” Chloe asked in disbelief.

Her old friend looked just as surprised to see her and gawked back. “Chloe?”

“Get in!” She snapped, trying to snap Max out of it.

This got Max’s attention. She jumped to her feet and once she had slammed the door behind her, Chloe took off.

Seeing Max again after nearly five years was a slap in the face by a little, annoying thing called reality. Chloe once said to herself that if Max suddenly showed back up in Arcadia Bay, she would accept Max’s friendship without a second thought. The second Max stepped into Chloe’s room, she found herself letting her guard down and remembering what it used to be like with Max.

Chloe tried not to just simply forgive Max, but with Rachel missing for months, she missed having someone to lean on. Since it was Max, Chloe didn’t even have to try that hard because while they both changed, their was still that sense of familiarity. It turned out to be a huge comfort for Chloe.

The moment Chloe knew she was done for was the night they returned back to her house after sneaking into Blackwell Academy. “Hey Chloe?” Max asked, sleepily

Chloe groaned, but forced her body to roll over on the uncomfortable mattress so she could face Max. She blinked slowly, trying hard to keep her eyes open. “Yeah, Maximus?”

“Today was really great. I… missed this,” Max muttered, voice barely above a whisper. “You know, I’m sorry for what happened after I moved. I fucking suck for doing that.”

On this, Chloe and Max were in agreement. “You totally suck for that, but since today was pretty fucking awesome, I think I can forgive you, Caulfield.”

She laughed, curling up closer to Chloe, which she was totally cool with. The closer the better-- not that Chloe would admit to that out loud. “Thanks, Chloe.”

It seemed this was the beginning of a second friendship for Chloe and Max. Chloe felt those damn butterflies make themselves known whenever she so much as looked at Max, but she promptly ignored them. They would only complicate things and things were complicated enough already.

_**v.** _

Chloe drove through the wreckage that was Arcadia Bay feeling completely numb. In the passenger seat was Max, slumped over with her head resting against the closed window. The sight alone managed to put a weak smile on Chloe’s face. However, seeing the way the storm ravaged Arcadia Bay was enough to make it vanish almost as soon as it appeared.

She felt like some of this was her fault. Max had a chance to save Arcadia Bay; save everyone from the storm, but instead chose to save Chloe. It was something Chloe would never forget. To mean that much to someone… was mind blowing. Deep down, Chloe knew she would have done the same thing if she was in Max’s position. Chloe couldn’t live without Max and it looked like Max felt the same way.

Chloe and Arcadia Bay always had a complicated relationship. There was a time she couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here with Rachel and the desire to leave still remained. Arcadia Bay was a cesspool of some fucked up goings-on. Chloe wanted to hang back mostly for her mother’s sake and help rebuild what they could of their lives in this shitty ass town.

“Chloe?” Max suddenly asked, words sounding garbled because of how tired she was. “Are we back in Arcadia Bay?”

She quirked a smile. “Yeah, we are Maximus, but we haven’t gotten to the diner yet. Try to get some more rest. You sound fucking awful.”

“Thanks, but I wanna be more alert so we can… you know… look for survivors.”

“We’ll find survivors, Max,” Chloe said firmly.

Chloe kept driving until they finally reached what was left of the diner. She slowly got out of the truck with Max close behind her. The worst outcome seemed to becoming a reality until Chloe heard her mother shout for her and Max. Before Chloe could turn to look, Joyce had pulled Chloe and Max into a bone crushing hug.

“Hey mom,” Chloe croaked out.

“Hi Joyce,” she heard Max utter in a similar sounding tone.

Joyce sobbed. “I’m so relieved you two are all right!”

It was yet another beginning in Chloe’s life, but at least she had Max and her mom to help her navigate whatever the hell it might bring.


End file.
